At the Binh Ngoc Communal House Festival, 12 special pigs are paraded. They are called 'ong voi' or 'Mr. Elephants'. The villagers take care of them for almost a year.

Many people go to the festival to see the 12 'ong voi'. They take pictures of the pigs after they have been taken care of for months by local families.

The 'ong voi' are carried in a procession and then put in the courtyard of the communal house. The villagers say thank you to their gods and ancestors.

The Binh Ngoc Communal House Festival happens every year. It starts on the 30th day of the fifth lunar month and ends on the third day of the sixth lunar month.

The festival's highlight is the big procession. The villagers prepare food and seafood for the gods.

The villagers burn incense to say thank you to their gods and ancestors. They want good health, good jobs, and a good catch for the fishermen.

The day before the main festival, the 12 families who take care of the 'ong voi' dress up and take the pigs to the communal house in special cages.

After the ceremony, the villagers measure the pigs and write down their weight.

The head of the Culture and Social Affairs Division said 12 families are chosen every year to take care of the 'ong voi'.

The families who take care of the 'ong voi' must be good people. They must respect the law and have good children.

The 'ong voi' are taken care of very well. They are given good food and a safe place to sleep.

The villagers choose the 'ong voi' on the 16th day of the first lunar month. They must be healthy and strong.

This year, the biggest 'ong voi' was raised by Vu Dinh Minh's family. It weighed 314 kilograms.

A long time ago, 12 families were fishing and got lost in a storm. They landed on a deserted island and started a new village.

The settlers decided to stay on the island. Some families went back home, but the others stayed and built a new village.

The villagers named their village Tra Co after their ancestors' homes. They wanted to remember where they came from.

The villagers still remember their ancestors. They say 'People of Tra Co, ancestors from Do Son'.

A long time ago, some elephants helped the villagers build their homes. Now, the villagers use pigs as a symbol of the elephants.

The villagers are thankful for the elephants' help. They have a festival every year to remember.

At the end of the festival, the villagers give a prize to the family with the biggest 'ong voi'.

The Binh Ngoc Communal House was built a long time ago. It is now a historical site and was recognized in 2020.